His remarks have come a day after Samajwadi Party failed to reach a consensus on electing its new leader in the Rajya Sabha to replace him ahead of Winter Session of Parliament.

Expelled from the Samajwadi Party on charges of corruption and being hand in glove with the BJP, Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav Monday broke down before media saying injustice had been meted out to him. Trashing the charges levelled against him, Ram Gopal said that he still considers himself “a part of the SP” and was giving a statement as a party member.

“Mere upar beimani ke aarop lage isse jyada dukhad kya ho sakta hai (I have been accused of corruption and there could be nothing worse than that)…I still believe I am a part of Samajwadi Party even if I am not operating officially,” Ra Gopal said.

His remarks have come a day after Samajwadi Party failed to reach a consensus on electing its new leader in the Rajya Sabha to replace him ahead of Winter Session of Parliament.

Ramgopal said that he had no greed for money or power and maintained that he never wanted to be a minister or hold any office. He claimed that he was offered an opportunity to become a minister in the Union Cabinet at the time of the nuclear deal, but had refused it and informed party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav too that he will never up any ministerial position.

Claiming that he has done a lot for SP, right from drafting its constitution to selecting the party flag and symbol, Ram Gopal said that he was upset because he was expelled just few days before party’s silver jubilee celebrations.

Ram Gopal said that he was innocent and has never done anything against the party and thus would not initiate any move to speak to Mulayam on his expulsion. “If party leaders think that injustice has been done to me, they should do justice,” he said and added that some people were “misguiding SP chief”.

Steering clear of any more controversy, the former SP general secretary desisted from taking any names but said, “CM ko nazarandaz karke manmaane tarikey se ticket vitran kiya ja raha hai (Tickets for the Assembly polls are being distributed by ignoring CM Akhilesh Yadav).”

Akhilesh and his uncle and state party chief are at loggerheads over ticket distribution and the family feud had played out in public at several occasion in last few weeks.

Ram Gopal said that Akhilesh has emerged as strong leader and the recent crisis in the SP has not affected the party.

The Rajya Sabha MP called the press conference to demand that expelled party leaders be reinducted, CM’s consent must be ensured in ticket distribution and Mulayam should declare that Assembly elections would be contested under the leadership of Akhilesh who would also be the CM face of the party. He said that if consensus could not be reached on these issues, party should call special convention of the meeting. Asked how he can make such demands after being expelled from SP, Ram Gopal cited a Supreme Court ruling which said that even if an MLA or MP is expelled from a party, he would be considered as a member of that party.

Ram Gopal raised the demands a day after meeting expelled party MLCs Anand Bhadauriya, Sanjay Lathar, Sunil Yadav, Arvind Yadav and Udaiveer Singh in Etawah. Ram Gopal had said that these MLCs were expelled from the party in unconstitutional manner.